Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government with regard to whether relevant registration systems will be in place to allow the agricultural industry to recruit workers from EU accession states in time for this year's harvest.

Allan Wilson: Employment is a matter reserved to the UK Government. The Home Office has indicated that the Worker Registration Scheme will be operational from 1 May 2004 and workers from the EU accession countries are being advised to register as soon as they start work unless they hold a valid work card under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). From 1 May, agricultural employers will be able to recruit workers from the accession countries either directly or through SAWS operators.

Animal By-Products (Scotland) Regulations 2003

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any instances of non-compliance with the Animal By-Products (Scotland) Regulations 2003 by any of the major supermarket chains and, if so, what action has been taken.

Allan Wilson: Local authorities in Scotland are responsible for monitoring compliance with the Animal By-Products (Scotland) Regulations 2003. The Executive understands that enforcement officials across Scotland have undertaken visits to a number of supermarkets to explain how these statutory controls impact on disposal practices, but information on instances of non-compliance is not held centrally.

Animal By-Products (Scotland) Regulations 2003

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with major supermarket chains to ensure compliance with the Animal By-Products (Scotland) Regulations 2003.

Allan Wilson: The Executive is part of a UK-wide working group involving food manufacturers and retailers, local authorities and the waste disposal sector which was established to identify practical options for ensuring compliance with the by-products controls.

Coast Protection

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific financial support it will be giving to the joint initiative by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils to set up a forum involving business and community leaders to protect around 200 miles of fragile coastline from erosion.

Allan Wilson: Funding of a new forum as proposed by the two councils is a matter for the parties involved. However, if as a result of setting up the planned forum, the councils decide to take schemes forward under the Coast Protection Act 1949 to address coastal erosion, coast protection grant may be available to support the forum's output, subject to satisfying the required criteria. For example, grant support may extend to relevant preliminary studies undertaken in advance of any such schemes.

Employment

Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board is satisfied that Monaghan Middlebrook (Mushrooms) Ltd, Kernans Mushroom Ltd and any other associated company or companies are complying with the terms of the current wages board regulations in the employment of both local and foreign workers at Fenton Barns, Drem.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Agricultural Wages Board is empowered to make orders which set minimum rates of pay and other conditions of service for agricultural workers in Scotland, but the Scottish Executive is responsible for enforcing these orders.

  Executive officials are currently carrying out an inspection of pay records and other documents relating to the terms and conditions of workers employed to pick mushrooms at the premises of Monaghan Mushrooms, Fenton Barns, Drem.

Genetically Modified Crops

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) timescale for and (b) nature of any consultation on crop distances between GM crops and (i) organic and (ii) non-organic crops will be.

Allan Wilson: The recent decision by Bayer CropScience to withdraw their application to add Chardon LL maize to the national seed list reduces the likelihood that GM crops would be grown in Scotland in the foreseeable future. Notwithstanding, the Executive intends to consult on co-existence measures later this year, in order to ensure that such measures are in place before any possible planting of GM crops in Scotland. The detailed terms of such a consultation have still to be determined, but it will include consultation on the desirability of a separate threshold for organic crops and separation distances between GM and non-GM crops.

Genetically Modified Crops

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce a liability regime in respect of the possible future development of GM crops and what issues will be addressed in any consultation on such a regime.

Allan Wilson: The Executive considers that issues of compensation for economic losses arising from contamination of non-GM crops should be addressed as part of a broader co-existence regime. We have undertaken to consult on compensation as part of our wider consultation on co-existence later this year.

Genetically Modified Crops

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be any overlap between EU proposals on environmental liability and any liability regime that the Executive will introduce to address issues relating to GM crops.

Allan Wilson: The draft EU Directive on Environmental Liability establishes liability for environmental damage to protected species and habitats resulting from a range of activities, including the release of GM organisms. It does not cover damage to private property or any economic loss, for example losses arising from GM contamination of non-GM crops. It is this issue which the Executive will seek to address in its consultation on co-existence.

Land Reform

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated budget is for the implementation of access rights, including core path networks, local access forums and an education programme, and what funding will be made available to local authorities and agencies for the implementation of these rights and any on-going management and maintenance.

Allan Wilson: A total of £22 million for the period 2003-4 to 2005-6 has been made available to local authorities in respect of access related activity. Over the same period, the two national park authorities are spending £0.7 million on the development and the provision of access and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is spending over £28 million to promote and facilitate access. A proportion of this SNH spend is in the form of grants to local authorities to assist them in preparing for their new functions under the legislation.

  We are continuing to work with SNH and local authorities to estimate the costs of implementing the new arrangements for access. Some of these costs will arise soon after the legislation comes into effect, which we plan should be in the autumn of this year. However, the costs associated with core paths provision are likely to be later because it is expected that it will be some years before most local authorities are in a position to adopt their core paths plans.

  We are currently considering SNH and local authority funding requirements for the period 2005-06 to 2007-08, and an announcement on this will be made in the autumn.

Livestock

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the objectives of the beef national envelope are and how payments under this scheme are targeted.

Allan Wilson: We are still considering, with interested parties, how to use the new beef national envelope provided for in the recent Common Agricultural Policy reform agreement. The legislation relating to this new envelope provides for payments to be granted for specific types of farming which are important for the protection or enhancement of the environment, or for improving the quality and marketing of agricultural products.

  Under the current subsidy arrangements there is an existing beef national envelope which is used to support suckler cow production in Scotland. Payments are made by way of an additional headage payment on animals eligible for the Suckler Cow Premium.

Ministerial Correspondence

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will reply to my letter of 25 February 2004 regarding my constituent Mr A Summers of Peterhead.

Allan Wilson: : A reply was issued on Thursday 8 April.

NHS Waiting Times

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) patients and (b) patients with an availability status code were on the waiting list for NHS treatment, broken down by (i) speciality and (ii) length of time on waiting list in (1) June, (2) September and (3) December 2003.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 32323)

Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty the Queen or her representatives regarding the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive has sought Crown consent in respect of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill, in accordance with Rule 9.11 of the Standing Orders of the Scottish Parliament.

Public Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the City of Edinburgh Council's Integrated Transport Initiative will be funded through the £375 million investment in public transport improvements for Edinburgh, announced by the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning on 4 March 2003; what information it had prior to the announcement in respect of the (a) implementation and (b) operational costs of the initiative, and whether it expects the fare box revenue to meet the running costs of the initiative.

Nicol Stephen: On 4 March 2003, the Executive announced the future availability of £375 million towards the completion of at least the north Edinburgh tramline and related public transport improvements in Edinburgh. That funding is dependent on City of Edinburgh Council and Transport Initiatives Edinburgh producing a robust business case for the tram.

  At the time of the announcement the Scottish Executive had appropriate estimates of the capital and operating costs. Those cost estimates continue to be developed by Transport Initiatives Edinburgh as part of the production of the business case. The latest estimates from Transport Initiatives Edinburgh continue to show fare box revenue exceeding operating costs by a significant margin.

Residential Care

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider repealing the "liable relatives rule" which allows local authorities to seek contributions towards a person's care home fees from their spouse.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Executive intends to remove the liable relatives rule from Scottish residential care charging at the first appropriate legislative opportunity.

Veterinary Surgeons

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to ensuring that an adequate large animal veterinary service is available throughout Scotland.

Allan Wilson: The demand and supply for large animal veterinary services is largely a matter for the veterinary profession and its clients. However, the Scottish Executive has a keen interest in the area as vets are a key partner in the successful delivery of the animal health and welfare strategy. We are aware of concerns about future numbers of large animal vets and are currently working together with the veterinary profession and livestock industry in a working group to consider the issues. This working group is due to publish its conclusions in the summer.

Young People

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding it has provided to Caledonia Youth in each year since 1999 and what additional funding has been provided to the organisation for the establishment of new clinics in Falkirk and Aberdeen.

Malcolm Chisholm: The funding provided is set out in the following table by financial year. The Executive's support for Caledonia Youth is in the context of an integrated project to provide start-up costs for the establishment of four new centres, and to contribute to the running costs of these centres and the existing centre in Edinburgh. Centres in Glasgow and Dundee have been opened. The centre in Falkirk, which will soon have its formal opening, and the proposed centre in Aberdeen have formed part of the project from the outset.

  


Financial Year

Funding



1999-2000

£9,000



2000-01

£159,000



2001-02

£124,800



2002-03

£307,700



2003-04

£269,000

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Presiding Officer, further to the answer to question S1W-16309 by Sir David Steel on 29 June 2001, whether the environmental certification details referred to have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre and whether details of all timber used since July 2001 will be placed there.

George Reid: The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has now written to the member with the details requested, and placed a copy of that letter in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Scottish Parliament Staff

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer how many staff it employs (a) directly, (b) by secondment and (c) on a contract or consultancy basis to fulfil its media relations function.

Andrew Welsh (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): The Media Relations Office of the Scottish Parliament currently has (a) seven full-time and one-part-time member of staff, (b) it has no seconded staff and (c) has one external photography contract which allows for consultancy work.